This is where your zenith tv was built!

[ChrisW6ATV]

Originally Posted by KentTeffeteller

Whirlpool is a major employer in the county adjacent to the one I live in.

My new stove is a Whirlpool. I bought it specifically because it is Made in USA. It works very well. When I buy a dishwasher, it will be a Whirlpool, too, for the same reason (plus they make good machines at decent prices).

Supposedly, General Electric is starting to make more appliances in the USA again, too.

Originally Posted by ChrisW6ATV

Supposedly, General Electric is starting to make more appliances in the USA again, too.

Mostly their low end stuff. A lot of their higher end stuff, especially fridges, are farmed out to LG or Samsung (can't remember which). I think a lot of their a/c units are farmed out too.

[Jon A.]

Originally Posted by egrand

Mostly their low end stuff. A lot of their higher end stuff, especially fridges, are farmed out to LG or Samsung (can't remember which). I think a lot of their a/c units are farmed out too.

Might as well buy the low-end stuff in that case. It will be superior to the foreign-made stuff even though it lacks the bells and whistles.

[DavGoodlin]

Originally Posted by Jon A.

Might as well buy the low-end stuff in that case. It will be superior to the foreign-made stuff even though it lacks the bells and whistles.

Quite right! I think the Roper name was applied to some of the lower end workhorses Whirlpool made. Ask any repairman what washing machine you should have bought in the last 10 years, many answer "a Roper".

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by DavGoodlin

Quite right! I think the Roper name was applied to some of the lower end workhorses Whirlpool made. Ask any repairman what washing machine you should have bought in the last 10 years, many answer "a Roper".

Whirlpool had several, lower end product lines. Estate was another. The newer models are direct drive. The USA made, top load models are mechanically similar. It's just the extras, like multi-speed motors, selection of rinse and wash water temperatures, etc.
The dishwashers are extremely loud. It was hard to carry on a conversation, when the thing was running.
The real low end Sears washers and driers are badged Capri. They appear to be Whirlpool products.

[drh4683]

Greetings gentleman,
I still have the original pictures that I took and posted here back in 2003. I also have newer photos as well and will update this thread with those photos soon. Even though its been over a decade since this thread was created, it goes to show that this thread is still often discovered by those interested in Zenith history which is nice to see.

[Jeffhs]

Doug, I certainly hope you keep this thread going as long as possible, as I enjoy reading your posts and also that your thread is keeping alive the history of the original Zenith Radio Corporation, which went out of business in the late '80s or nineties.

I've liked Zenith radios, TVs, etc. for years, have owned a few of their b&w TVs, have a number of antique/vintage Zenith radios from the '50s-'60s and even one 1980 AM-FM high-performance portable, the R-70. (I do not, however, own any "Zenith"-branded radios made after 1980, although I did own a four-mode Zenith integrated stereo in the early '80s.) I also have a 19" SMS1917SG table model from 1995 that still works. Still has its original CRT as well, and it makes an excellent picture even now, 19 years later. The set is in my bedroom, unused, and has been unused except for occasional testing since I moved here 14 years ago. I now have a 19" Insignia flat screen, which I understand has many LG components; LG parts were used in many Zenith-branded LG flat screens until Zenith itself went out of business for good several years ago.

Anyway, I am still very interested in anything and everything Zenith, reading everything I can get my hands on regarding the company's history. I also have a virtual Zenith "museum" here on my computer, composed of photos of early Zenith TVs and radios from about the '40s through the end of the NTSC CRT TV era. Many of those pictures are still on CDs, waiting to be ripped into the computer. One of these days...

BTW, it's good seeing your posts again. As I said, I enjoy reading them and look forward to seeing more as time goes on. Keep up the good work.

[rca2000]

Originally Posted by Jon A.

Might as well buy the low-end stuff in that case. It will be superior to the foreign-made stuff even though it lacks the bells and whistles.

The electronic "bells and whistles" on foreign-made appliances do NOT hold up any better...than most flat-panel tv sets do...

[Jon A.]

Originally Posted by rca2000

The electronic "bells and whistles" on foreign-made appliances do NOT hold up any better...than most flat-panel tv sets do...

My thoughts exactly. I don't care for much of anything that's heavily-optioned anyway.